Regret
by Kazima Kuwabara
Summary: The Straw Hats find themselves captured by a Marine with the power to make you relive your biggest regret, with his eyes set on making Luffy suffer. Will the crew be able to escape unharmed, or will someone else have to suffer for Luffy's sake?


Hello! Been awhile since I wrote a One Piece fiction...the be honest after the gang go separated I just suddenly lost inspiration for One Piece...I am a lame...but anywho I'm writing again. Trying to get back into the swing, so please enjoy. :3

I don't own any characters.

Ah things you should know...I like to think that this is taking place after the current ongoing arc in the manga-so I'm trying to do their new "selves," as it were...but really as long as you know what's happened to Ace...I think you can get the story.

Okay...anyways... onward!

* * *

><p><em>To be caught after all they'd been through...what was this? What was the word that drowned the Straw Hat crew like the unrelenting sea...<em>

"Ah...Pathetic..." Luffy whispered as he lay curled on his side. The word had come to him. It was pathetic to be caught like this...pathetic to be wrapped up in sea stone chains and beaten to a bloody pulp. Pathetic to go through two years of intensive training only to be stopped now... Pathetic to be captured by a Marine so ignorant and foolish he would dare use his own Nakama as shields...How could Luffy let himself lose to a man like that?

"Pathetic..." Luffy moaned weakly lifting his head and slamming it into the ground in frustration.

"Oi...stop that...stop that!" Zoro whispered sharply to Luffy. Zoro's voice was a mere whisper, but not by his own choice...his voice had become so weak from his earlier battle cries that the swordsman had run out of words. "Luffy..." Zoro whispered again, his one eye narrowed angrily at the Captain, "Save your strength...we'll escape. We'll get out." Zoro flexed his wrists against the restraints. Admittedly he wasn't sure how they'd get out-but they would. Somehow. "We'll get away, just like always," Zoro said again eye fixed on Luffy's face, "This is no different then normal."

Luffy set his face grimly, before forcing a large grin, "Of course we'll get away!" the Captain said loudly. And the louder his voice got he more confidence flooded in Luffy's veins. Even Luffy doubted, as rare as those times were, but when he did doubt her normally got loud. The louder he got the more confidence Luffy would obtain. "We're gonna get out! We're gonna get out!" Luffy repeated the mantra over and over, rattling his chains his words getting stronger and louder with each surging outburst. "We're gonna get out! WE'RE GONNA GET OUT! WE'RE GONNA GET OUT!"

A few soft chuckles echoed Luffy's enthusiastic cries.

"Ah...the Captain seems to be in high spirits..." Robin's soft soothing voice flitted gently in the room.

In a row the Straw Hat crew sat, lined up like broken toys against the wall. The four crew members who had eaten the devil fruit where in sea stone chains and beaten so badly that using their own strength to move seemed like an impossible feat. In Zoro's case he had been beaten, chained, beaten again, and for good measure an impossibly large stone was strapped to his back. The massive stone stretched from Zoro's back all the way to the ceiling and had been secured to the swordsman with thick heavy chains keeping Zoro flattened to the ground.

Franky and Nami were both curled up against the wall-chains loosely wrapped around their motionless bodies. The two had been knocked unconscious, and the marines found it a waste to secure them as tightly as they had the other crew members. The chains were indeed secured to the wall, but if they were awake, the two had more of a chance of wiggling out of the chains from the almost careless way the two had been secured. There had been a hope that if the two stirred the both of them could escape...but hours had passed and the two were still limp and motionless. To see two of their comrades in this condition made the crew nervous, but no one spoke of their concerns or worries. No reason to make their dark matters worse.

Usopp had been beaten and was chained up, but not to the wall like most of the others, or chained down to the ground like Zoro. He no longer had the strength to stand and the chains were merely wrapped around him to keep him weighted down. Sanji was in the same condition as Usopp, with the chains wrapped around his body. Sanji was beaten a bit, but his feet were in horrible condition. Broken, bloodied, and stripped of their shoes, Sanji's feet where a terrible sight-it seemed too hard a task to get the cook to stand, and the Marines, whenever they moved him dragged him by his hair, or an ankle.

So there the broken crew, Chopper, Brook, Nami, Franky, Robin, Zoro, Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji, all sitting along the wall in that order, sat waiting for what ever fate had in order for them.

"WE'RE GONNA GET OUT!" Luffy cried again rattling his chains noisily interrupting any thoughts his fellows may have had.

"Ah such noise..." a high-pitched almost feminine voice cooed from the darkness of the pirate crew's prison.

Those that were aware looked up, and towards a man that approached them with little care. He was injured as they were, though his wounds by now had been treated properly, and he at least had bandages and stitches where they were needed. This was the Marine Lieutenant who had captured the crew. It had been...a big accident. The thousand Sunny docked at an island, only intent on restocking some previsions the crew needed. It turned out this Lieutenant-against Marine orders-had claimed the island as his own and using his power from a devil fruit kept everyone-even his own men-under his thumb. This Lieutenant, who so carelessly used his power, was called Toruga.

And while gathering items on this island, the crew witnessed the power of Toruga's demon fruit ability. It was something he had dubbed, "Regret Revisited." At a touch he could make a person recall their single greatest regret, and turn the memory not only to an emotional pain, but physical. And if he held fast to you he could make a person live every horrible moment again and again while their body would wither away from an unknown physical force. In front of Luffy and his crew, the man had grabbed a child who crossed his path. Toruga has swooped down and and squeezed her tight, laughing cruelly as people begged and pleaded for him to spare the child. The little girl had moaned and cried, her skin became bruised and bloodied by some unknown force, and Toruga just kept laughing at the child's misery.

The Straw Hat crew just couldn't stand the suffering they were witnessing-and raged war against Toruga and all his men, including six other men who also used the power of the "devil fruit," to cause pain and misery. The battle waged long, but for the Straw Hat's defeat of their enemy was eminent or so it had seemed. Before Luffy could deliver the final blow against Toruga, the reinforcements that had shown up, and was just enough to put the crew where they were now. Which was imprisoned deep in the belly of Toruga's ship. The crew were still docked, and had only been dragged in here recently, but to see Toruga already was not a welcome sight.

Now Toruga stood before the crew, smiling at the group he'd captured. He stopped in front of the chained up Pirates, no longer fearing for his safety as he had been just an hour ago. "You almost had me in serious trouble..." Toruga purred holding his arms out as he stood before the beaten crew. "The Marines will have to forgive me now for the crimes I committed against the people of this island...for I've caught you all...the dangerous Straw Hats..." Toruga laughed and sauntered over towards Nami who still lay motionless on the ground. He bent down leering down at her her unconscious form, and looked back at the rest of the group giving a suggestive eye wiggle.

"She is lovely...isn't she? Perhaps I'll have some fun with you all before you're taken to your doom..." Toruga mused laughing at the mere thought. He reached out his index finger and drew it close to Nami watching everyone's expressions. "She's so lovely...I bet even her tears are lovely. Shall I touch her...make her feel her deepest regret again and again...?"

"YOU KEEP AWAY FROM NAMI-SWAN!" Sanji's voice cut through the tense air.

But he wasn't the only one to cry out. All who were aware screamed at Toruga demanding to be touched in Nami's stead. Toruga laughed and spun around in a circle as the group cried out at him, he was enjoying their sufferings so much. He spun, laughing at the captured Pirate's angry shouts, their cries were like music to him and made him want to dance. Toruga spun, and twirled, laughing in a crazed squeal before he finally stopped sharply, landing in front of Sanji, surprising the battered cook.

"Did you know..." Toruga said with a sly grin, "There's more to my "Regret Revisited," attack to _new_ physical pain and mental pain? I can also return your body to the state it was in when you felt your regret...For example..." Toruga spoke calmly before touching the tip of Sanji's nose with his thumb.

Sanji let loose a horrifying scream. The cook's cigarette which had barely been maintained in his mouth fell from his lips with his cry. Sanji jerked away but couldn't escape Toruga's thumb. Sanji stubbornly clamped his mouth shut, setting his jaw in a hard thin line staring at Toruga like a crazed animal. And though new injuries collected onto Sanji's body, the cook stubbornly kept his mouth shut.

"Kekekekeke...if you were...lets say injured in the past when your deepest regret happened...my touch can well, let's say help your body remember that pain..." Toruga laughed shrilly before continuing his explanation, "Not that your body will go back to the same age as when your "worst regret," happened, but if you were lets say...**_starving...on...an...island..._**" with his last four words he ground his thumb into Sanji's nose. How Toruga knew this information was startling enough, but what really took the group by surprise, was when suddenly Sanji began to cry and moan.

"Ah...it hurts...it hurts...it hurts! This hunger...I'm so...hungry..." Sanji moaned sounding like a small child as his tears cascaded down his face, "It hurts...it hurts...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...Zeffff...Zeff...ZZZeeeeffffffff...ah it hurts! I'm sorry...ZEFF!" Sanji's words dragged out, and drool dripped down his chin. His eyes rolled back as if he were crazed and as Sanji continued to bemoan about his sufferings, blood began to appear in splotches on his clothes.

Toruga laughed harder at Sanji's pathetic state, only stopping when Luffy's voice cut through the air.

"COWARD! COWARD! FACE ME! LEAVE SANJI ALONE!"

Toruga removed his thumb and Sanji slid down against the wall until he was curled up on the floor in a shaking huddled mass. The cook was breathing heavily, tears, snot, and drool still racing down his face, and tiny moans still slipping past his lips. Usopp wiggled and pushed himself from the wall that aided in his upright position, and fell on his belly next to Sanji. The chains pinched, and scraped Usopp's already injured form, but his worry for his friend was too great to let him be deterred.

"S-Sanji! Hey!" Usopp hissed weakly, the strength feeling sapped out of him since his clumsy crash next to the cook's side. "Sanji! Come on! S-Sanji!"

Sanji made no response to Usopp, though he did show signs of life as he curled tighter as if he was fighting off waves of pain.

Toruga ignored the pair on the floor and walked to stand in front of Luffy.

"Shall I touch you? I think I can guess what you regret...what your _biggest _regret would be..." Toruga leaned in close to Luffy, but refrained from touching him. Toruga grinned cheekily looking the bound pirate in the eye, "I think everyone in this room can guess your regret little boy. It caused quite a spectacle two years ago...the death of-"

"SHUT UP!" Luffy roared closing his eyes tight, "DON'T YOU DARE EVEN SPEAK HIS NAME! SCUM LIKE YOU HAVE NO RIGHT SAYING HIS NAME!"

All the pirates were at attention at Luffy's cry, it even seemed Franky and Nami stirred in their unconsciousness, responding to Luffy's mournful and angry demand. Toruga seemed to pause in his threats before he threw back his head and began laughing at Luffy. Laughing at Luffy's anger, and his sufferings. All the while, not noticing that Sanji and Usopp had been whispering to each other.

"You musn't...let Luffy relive it..." Sanji moaned softly to Usopp, still shaking from the effect of Toruga's touch, though his tears had long ago stopped. Sanji looked into Usopp's eyes and whispered, "Surely you know...you know what Luffy's regret would be..."

Usopp nodded whispering the name that would surely be the source of Luffy's pain, "Ace..."

Sanji nodded vigorously, "We can't let...him be touched..."

Usopp rolled over and away from Sanji, and with difficulty made it to his knees. Though Sanji had told Usopp that they couldn't let Toruga touch Luffy, Sanji himself didn't know what they could do about it. Taunting Toruga might just make the marine touch Luffy just to further torture the pirate group. Toruga had the upper hand...what could be done with them all in chains? What could Usopp and Sanji do as they were now? What could anybody do?

"Sanji...can you kick me up?" Usopp asked quietly interrupting Sanji's desperate and downtrodden thoughts, "I know I'm asking a lot out of you in your condition...but I can only get to my knees...so...kick me at him!"

Sanji had stopped shaking, and he regarded his nakama with a bit of shock. "Kick you at him?"

Usopp nodded vigorously, "Yes! I got a plan!"

Sanji felt a crooked smile stretch across his face, "You've really become a brave warrior of the sea...haven't you Usopp?"

Usopp's back was to Sanji, so Sanji couldn't see the sharpshooter's face, but he did see Usopp's ears go bright red.

"But of course!" Usopp whispered in such a familiar cocky voice, that it drudged up memories of Usopp's tales of, "The great Captain Usopp," for the love-cook. Sanji grinned at the memories, and chuckled low. Usopp glanced behind him, seemed to become aware of what Sanji was thinking of, and he too flashed a large grin at the cook. The two, grinned like idiots for a few seconds, before they both nodded, and Usopp turned back to face Toruga.

Sanji painfully hoisted one of his battered legs, but paused before kicking Usopp to his feet and in the direction of Toruga. "What...whats your plan? What will this do?" Sanji didn't want Luffy to suffer, but the thought of Usopp going through pain was no different. If Sanji had his way, none of his nakama would suffer, but this was probably the same feelings of the rest of the Straw Hat crew. Sanji who had felt what Toruga's "Regret Revisited," was like, found the thought of kicking Usopp-a tied up, and _weaponless _Usopp-a suddenly...very stupid idea.

"No time! Look he's going towards Luffy! Do it!" Usopp hissed more urgently, wiggling impatiently in his restraints. And sure as the words were coming out of Usopp's mouth Toruga was leaning to touch Luffy with an outstretched finger. Sanji's instincts to protect his Captain kicked into overdrive, and with his painfully broken and bloodied feet, he kicked the sniper up and into Toruga.

Toruga gave a shout of surprise and the Straw hats looked on in shock as Usopp crashed into Toruga. Zoro was the first to look over at Sanji now cringing I agony over his foot.

"Idiot..." Zoro hissed agitated, shifting against the chains and heavy stone keeping him pinned down.

"Sh-Shut up..." Sanji whispered the sting of worry making his pain worse. What fate had he literally just kicked Usopp into?

Toruga, outraged that perhaps Usopp had found means to escape, hauled Usopp up to his feet by his hair, before grabbing him roughly by the chains. "How dare you..." Toruga growled shaking Usopp as he held the young man up by his chains. "How dare you...!" Toruga shook Usopp harder, the sniper gritting his teeth in response. His legs were shaking, but with a 'hock' sound, Usuopp spat into Toruga's face.

Silence fell in the room after Usopp's action, and it was at this moment Franky and Nami came moaning back to life. Franky stirred moaning and opening an eye, he felt very weak. Nami wearily shifted, and after a few tries managed to toss her long hair over her back, but remained curled up on the ground. Her eyes were hazy as she began to blink wearily back to awareness, and they searched out the faces of her Nakama. When her eyes landed on Toruga shaking Usopp, Nami gasped the sniper's name out in surprise.

It seemed like Nami voicing Usopp's name set some sort of trigger off in Toruga. He stopped shaking the sniper and glanced over at Nami, and then back to the sharpshooter he held in his hands. He frowned briefly, before a grim line set in his face. He took a few seconds to gain composure, before a slow crawling laugh slipped past his lips.

After his laugh died away he slowly began to speak, "Well, well...welcome back to us little girl...and you too robot-"

"Cyborg!" Franky corrected automatically in an annoyed voice.

Toruga ignored Franky and continued talking, his words getting louder and louder as he talked, "Now all of you are awake, and can see how terrible my touch is...How terrible..."Regret Revisited," is! And you'll all know...I'm someone you shouldn't have fucked with!" Toruga raised his left hand and grabbed Usopp around his face, his palm covering the sharp shooter's eyes and smashing in his long nose. The force of Toruga's grab made Usopp's battered cap fall from his head, and the sniper's long inky hair jump up. Usopp's hair had just settled about his shoulders when he finally burst into loud agonizing sobs and screams.

"NOOOOOO!" Usopp howled his friends wincing at the sound of the sharpshooter's tormented voice. "NOOOO! No...NO NO...NO! AAAGGGHHH...I...I...I...AHHHHHGGGGGG!" Usopp's voice was choking and before the crew's eyes Usopp's body was becoming more and more battered.

"Yes...YES!" Toruga shouted over Usopp's cries, "LET YOUR BODY GO BACK TO THE PAIN YOU ONCE HAD! AND LET ME ADD SOME NEW PAIN TOO!" Toruga laughed tugging Usopp's chains from his body, before grabbing him by the arm with his free hand. Even with the chains now scattered around Usopp's feet, the sniper could not escape, and only collapsed to his knees.

"Luuuuuffffyyyyy!" Usopp screamed, slurring the rubber man's name as he shouted, "LUFFY! I'm sorry...I'm sorry! AAAAHHHAAAA...HHAAA...HA...AHG...! I'm s-s-sorry! I'm sorry!" Usopp sobbed pitifully his body shaking from beneath his cries.

Luffy trembled, as well as the rest of the crew. Only Brook didn't seem to have a clue as to what Usopp's biggest regret was right this moment. Sanji felt his throat close, and the disgust he felt in himself could not be described by any word in the human language adequately.

"Usopp..." Sanji moaned mournfully, "Usopp! Snap out of it!" Even as Sanji spoke the words he felt that this was just wishful-wasteful words...Usopp would not be released from his suffering until after he'd been let go by Toruga. Even if Toruga let Usopp go, his physical pain would still be there. Sanju hissed in shame...what had he done.

"I'm S-S-sorry...I'm such a coward...and worse! WORSE!" Usopp howled tears smearing down his face and from underneath Toruga's hand. "I left...I left...I LEFT. I hurt my Nakama...why did you t-take me back! Why? Why...why...I don't des-des-deser-"

"SHUT UP!" Luffy roared interrupting Usopp's mournful cries. Tears were streaming down Luffy's face now and his eyes had dilated severely due to his rage. Luffy felt sick, crazed even, his anger was so great. "Usopp! The past is past! THE PAST IS PAST! WE'VE MADE UP! WE'RE ALL BACK TOGETHER, AND WE'RE ALL NAKAMA AGAIN! USOPP!"

But Usopp howled on his injuries he'd received from Franky's gang back in the day-as well as from Luffy when they had their fight way back when they had all been at Water 7. These wounds collected, added, and merged with the injuries Usopp already suffered, and even when the sniper was dark and covered up with all sorts of horrid wounds to the point where more wounds seemed impossible, Toruga held Usopp's face firmly. It wasn't until Usopp gave a choking sound, and vomited blood before Toruga released Usopp's face and arm.

He held Usopp by his hair and turned to look at each of the Straw Hat's. He presented Usopp to them like a prize and gave the pirates a long, silent, chilling look. Usopp only breathed his head thrown back and sobs breaking through the air before turning into chokes. A smile stretched across Toruga's face as he settled his gaze on Luffy.

"I shall give him another taste...what joy it gives me to know that this pirate has such as strong regret...hehehehe...sounds like he was a traitor and a coward in the past. Heehee...perhaps I'm doing you all a favor by snipping away this weak link-"

Before Toruga could continue Zoro interrupted the marine with a ferocious snarl, "You shut up! SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH!" Zoro's body trembled with rage, "You don't know anything about Usopp!" A subtle crack ran through the stone chained down to Zoro's back. It went unnoticed thanks to the rest of the crew crying out, their voices filled with rage and longing for vengeance for the words against their friend.

"That's right! You don't know shit about Usopp-bro! Usopp-bro! Get away from that scum!"

"Usopp! Usopp!"

"Long-nose!"

"Usopp! Usopp you can overtake Toruga, just fight back! Fight back Usopp!"

"You Liar! You liar! You said you had a plan! IF YOU HAVE A PLAN THEN DO SOMETHING!"

"Usoooopppppp!"

"TORUGA!" Luffy's shout put an end to everyone else's voices. Tears streamed down Luffy's face, and his chains rattled as if they might break from his wrath. "You want me...COME AND GET ME. I CAN TAKE YOUR TOUCH! I CAN BARE YOUR REGRET! LET GO OF USOPP RIGHT NOW OR THAT WILL BE** YOUR** BIGGEST REGRET!"

Toruga's face looked crazed and he shook the sniper in eagerness, "Ahahahahahahaha! Fun! Fun! This is so much fun! Your pain...all of it is so great! What more can I get out of you just from touching this boy? Heeheehee...oh if I only knew what he'd done to feel so low..."

Toruga turned his eyes back to Usopp, licking his lips in eagerness, "Tell me, tell me, tell me! What did you do to feel so low! What did you do?" Toruga asked eagerly his voice crazed with delight. He held up his hand, again protests filling the air.

"ENOUGH!" Sanji roared slamming himself forward. He had managed to get his battered broken feet against the wall and with a painful push had moved forward to face Toruga. "Leave Usopp alone! Leave him alone!" Sanji demanded wriggling centimeters closer despite his chains, and despite his injuries. There were tears in his eyes again, and Sanji knew that if he couldn't stop this now, he'd never forgive himself in the future-no matter what the outcome.

"Heehee...so eager to feel regret again? I'll give it to you after him!" Toruga cackled before grabbing Usopp's face again. There were more screams from the straw hat crew, and the sounds of chains being rattled and banged against the walls. Luffy in frustration as well as blind rage, had begun smashing his head against his chains as if it were hard enough to break the stubborn binds.

"LUFFFFYYYYYyyyyyyy..." Usopp moaned mournfully once more, his voice cracking and tapering off as he moaned. Blood was beginning to leak and stain Usopp's body, though he was already so injured it could not be seen what was causing the new streams of blood. "Forgive me...forgive me!"

"YOU'VE ALREADY BEEN FORGIVEN!" Luffy shouted his voice mixing with that of his crew.

"MY NAKAMA...I...I...I promise...I PROMISE...I'll never b-betray you again...Luffy! Luffy! I'm sorry...I'm sorry! Why was I so...so...stubborn...whyyyy whyyyy? Luffy! Luf..." Usopp made a gurgling noise and vomit darkened with blood bubbled up past Usopp's lips and out on to Toruga's pants. Toruga cursed, but held the sniper firm. Usopp coughed, and hacked, still screaming and moaning, but now his voice was low and weak. "L...luffy...my...my friends...I'm...I'm...I'm..." With each stuttering word Usopp gasped for breath, his chest heaving...

"His heart! His heart! He'll die!" Chopper cried out interrupting Usopp's piteous gasps for air. The reindeer sobbed loudly, "HE'LL DIE! HIS HEART! HIS HEART! USOPP!" Chopper let out a long and loud wail his tears blinding the youth.

Usopp kept gasping, while his friends kept struggling, kept fightig, but this time it really seemed like this was going to be the end for the straw hat crew's sharpshooter.

"So-s-s-sorry..." escaped Usopp's lips one more time, before Sanji found the strength again to launch himself at Toruga.

Sanji opened his mouth and with a fierce snapping sound had his enemy's ankle entrapped in his teeth. He bit down with no mercy, and Sanji closed his eyes only to avoid getting blood splashed in his face once his canines tore through the skin. Toruga howled with pain and dropped Usopp who fell back and lay still on the ground.

"YOUUUU!" Toruga raged as Sanji bit harder and harder into the Marine's ankle. The Marine raised his foot to stomp on Sanji's head when an explosion filled the room.

Toruga looked up...the chains had been blown off of Luffy, and the force of the explosion had finished breaking the already cracked stone on Zoro's back. Both men rose in a fluid motion, the chain's rattling off Zoro and Luffy's body with a fluid like ease. The duo charged and smashed into Toruga sending him flying; Sanji releasing the man's ankle in just enough time so he too wouldn't be sent skidding across to the other side.

Zoro dropped down by Sanji helping the cook out of the chains.

"No! Usopp-" Sanji tried to protest.

"Be quiet! Luffy has him," Zoro snapped his anger from what had been done to Usopp, pushed aside so he could help his friends out of their chains. When Sanji was free, Zoro turned and rushed to help the rest of the crew leaving Sanji alone. Sanji rolled onto his side to look at Usopp and Luffy behind him and felt his jaw clench at what he saw dangling in Usopp's limp hand.

Luffy held Usopp carefully, and he too had his eyes focused on Usopp's hand. A rubber band, and a single capsule rest into Usopp's weak grip. Usopp was unable to say anything, he merely breathed and tremble in Luffy's arms. But, somehow, despite the agony the sharpshooter had endured, he'd managed to get out a rubber band and launch a small exploding capsule to free his friends.

"Usopp..." Luffy said lowly, tears flowing free from his face, "You..."

Usopp's head titled to look at Luffy and slowly he winked at the Captain. "M'fine..." Usopp choked, tears and snot still dripping down his face, along with his blood. "Let...I...I let him think...I was worse...then...I re...really wa...was...s..." Usopp gasped his chest still moving rapidly.

"You liar," Luffy whispered voice shaky, "Y-you're really hurt."

"No...no...I'm fine. I'm...o...ok...Luffy. It...di...didn't even hurt..."

"Shut up!" Luffy snapped biting his lip, his face tight. "Usopp...the past is the past. It's over. I DEMAND YOU TO STOP REGRETTING WHAT HAPPENED BACK THEN! THIS IS NOW! I ORDER YOU USOPP, AS YOUR CAPTAIN, I ORDER YOU TO NEVER REGRET THE PAST! WE...ARE...NAKAMA!" Luffy's howl reached not just Usopp, but the other pirates, and strength that seemed gone from the crew returned. Free from shackles, and now gathering their scattered weapons the Straw Hat's charged Toruga who was still struggling to get up and grasp what had happened.

Usopp hiccuped, and smiled before giving a slight nod, "I...I'll leave my regret...in the past...Luffy..." Usopp choked, before finally losing consciousness.

Sanji, who had watched the whole thing, barked out, "Luffy! Is he...?"

"He's alive," Luffy answered sharply, setting Usopp down gently on the ground. Luffy rose and his eyes found Toruga. "TORUGAAAAAA!" Luffy roared, fists clenched and out to his side. Toruga, already trying to struggle against the demons that had once been pirates, looked fearfully at Luffy.

"I warned you...your biggest regret would be touching Usopp..." Luffy spoke low, his voice heavy in the sudden silence that had lapsed around the room. Luffy lowered himself, and helped Sanji to his feet. Sanji felt he could suddenly stand, as if the pain of his broken feet were not his. Sanji limped to stand next to his friends, and tower over Toruga who was huddled on the floor. Sanji wavered a moment, but Brook and Zoro steadied the cook without taking their eyes off of Toruga below them.

After a long silent moment, Luffy took in a breath, bent his head slightly down, and charged.

For the first time in Toruga's life he felt fear clutch his heart, and before he could even scream, Luffy and the Straw Hat's were Upon him.

**One week later...**

Usopp opened one eye, and then another, but after a few seconds he had to close them again. He tried six more times before he could finally keep them open. It was at this sixth attempt he realized he could hear soft music, and the sound of someone scuttling around.

Shifting his head he turned seeing three familiar faces.

Brook was playing his violin outside the infirmary room of the Thousand Sunny, just standing outside the door. Usopp could only guess the skeleton was outside of the room so that his music wouldn't have disturbed Usopp. In the corner of the room Robin sat, she was mixing something under careful instruction of Chopper. He was the one making all the scuttling noises.

"...Oi..." Usopp grunted trying to make the fact that he was awake known.

All noise stopped and Usopp's three friends shared a singular movement. Three heads all shifted to look at Usopp. Chopper let out a gleeful cry, tears bursting from his eyes, while Robin and Brook both left at the same moment, Brook's voice calling out for everyone. "Yohohohohoh! Usopp is awake!" Brook's voice echoed somewhere above Usopp's head. Shortly after, Usopp could hear scraping sounds above his head from where he lay.

Chopper's sudden presence made Usopp turn his attention back to the reindeer. Chopper had sunk next to Usopp, the little reindeer crawling into the bed next to his injured friend. "Ah! You're awake! You dummy!" Chopper squawked as he smacked Usopp on the head, but Usopp felt no pain. Either Chopper barely touched him, or Chopper was taking care of him so well be barely noticed the wounds...either way Usopp could only smile weakly at the reindeer.

"Do you know how long you've been out? Do you!" Chopper demanded hotly, steam practically rising from his ears.

Usopp smiled and said nothing, honestly not sure if he had enough strength to really be speaking, or answering anyone right now.

"Usopp!" Nami's voice cut through the air, drawing the sniper's attention to the sudden thundering footsteps that were headed in his direction. Before Usopp could even turn Name was at his side, the rest of the crew close on her heals.

All at once they were chatting and asking questions, or saying something nice to him. Usopp couldn't keep up or even make heads or tails of who said what. So he only listened and let the words wash over him. Things suddenly quieted down, and he realized that someone was still approaching the bed, taking very slow deliberate steps. Usopp did a head count, and realized Luffy was not yet crowded around his bed, and the slow echoing footsteps made Usopp very nervous. Sanji, who was at Usopp's other side, gently pat the sniper's shoulder.

"It'll only hurt for a minute," Sanji said wiggling an eyebrow at Usopp.

Usopp looked at the chef like he was crazy, but not for long. The sniper suddenly found himself howling in pain as Luffy sat himself right on Usopp's stomach.

"Ow,ow,ow! I really will die!" Usopp protested, but had no strength to make Luffy get off. Usopp groaned loudly, and looked at Luffy, not seeing any pity. The Captain's face was set, and serious, something that was normally not shown from the rubber man unless something very serious was about to happen. Usopp waited for Luffy to speak, but he didn't for a long time. He just sat there, staring at Usopp, as if waiting for something to happen.

In his eagerness for Luffy to do something, say something Usopp opened his mouth, "Luffy I-"

"Listen," Luffy said, interrupting the sniper, his tone serious. "The past is the past. There's pain in the past, and that's the truth, but anything that happened between us," Luffy made a gesture that showed he was addressing the entire crew, "If we hurt each other or whatever...as long as we make up for it, that memory of a mistake doesn't have to be a regret. Friends fight. And that's that. What we did and what we said back then...well that's the past. What we're doing now...together...is what's important. So don't you regret anymore..."

Usopp nodded grinning a little at Luffy. He tried to say something again but Luffy interrupted him once more.

"When you're well enough to hit, I'm beating you up!" Luffy declared with a big grin.

"Oi oi...don't you know I really will die then!" Usopp moaned. Luffy only laughed, the others joining in, and Usopp could only pout knowing he probably would be facing a fist to the face as soon as he was well. But such was life, when it came to being a member of the Straw Hat crew.

**End**


End file.
